You've come a long way, ducky

Magnet #843 - Circuit board ducky

Hahaha. You totally thought it was gonna be another NCIS post, about my love for Dr. Ducky Mallard, didn't you. Sorry to disappoint.

My sister picked this up for me at London's Natural History Museum. I think she just thought it was cute. It totally is. Of course, it makes me think of her running around as a baby, singing that Ernie song,

Rubber ducky, you're the one!
You make bath time, lots of fun!

Over and over. And over.

Still, it's a supercute circuit board ducky.

Picked it for today, because this day in 1951, the first commercial computer was unveiled. The UNIVAC - Universal Automated Computer, with U.S. Census and Prudential as its first customers.

The UNIVAC filled a whole room at 25' x 50'. Feet! And it had an internal storage of a whopping 1,000 words, processing at 2.25MHz bit rate.

Compare that to today's technological wonder, the iPad, which can go virtually anywhere at 9.56" x 7.47". Inches! No telling how many words it can hold with a minimum capacity of 16GB, processing at 1GHz.

Whoa.

Now. If we could just get those flying cars moving along, we'd be in business.

YIPA* and the Frick

Magnet #842 - Windmill in Amsterdam, Monet

Ya'll know I loves me some Monet. Yes, he's the most cliche Impressionist painters to like, but what can I say.

There's nothing that makes me happier than when I discover a Monet I've never seen before - it's awesome. I kinda feel that way whenever I discover a museum I've never been to before as well. And today, I did both!

I picked this magnet up as part of a collection from the Houston's Museum of Fine Arts - a quick visit, where I didn't really see the museum, as much as I ended up on the phone for work. Still, I got to walk around for a quick bit, and peeking around the corner, much to my surprise, was this Monet - The Windmill on the Onbekende Canal, Amsterdam.

So pretty. I loved it. And I've never seen it before. Mind you, I don't even think I knew he'd ever painted in Amsterdam. But so he did.

I picked it for today, because I made another discovery. It's taken me 15 years, but I finally found time to visit the Frick Collection, thanks to a late-morning @NewYorkology Tweet about Sunday's museum discounts. (Dude, I wish you'd Tweet things to do much earlier on in the day, on the weekends!)

I've always meant to visit the Frick, but I want to say someone told me years ago - you know who you are - that it was boring. In fact, it couldn't be more the opposite. It's a small collection, but man, it's so diverse.

For those who don't know, Henry Clay Frick who was born on a Pennsylvania farm and became a coke baron, joined in with Andrew Carnegie, and became a titan of industry, and then relocated here shortly after PA Homestead Strike. I know, right? Hadn't a clue, either.

Anyway, he was an avid art collector - he bought his first Rembrandt for $38,000 by the time he was 31. Can you imagine? La-la-la, I think I'll buy a Rembrandt. Or a Monet. Or a Goya. Or a Titian. Or Turner. Or two!

The Frick houses another Monet that I haven't seen before, Vétheuil in Winter, one that he painted in the dead of winter, shortly after his wife Camille passed away. This image rendering from the collection doesn't even begin to do the actual painting justice - in real life, it's simply gorgeous, and a more than a little desolate.

I love Frick's penchant for reuniting paintings that had been separated over the years, and finding fantastic ways to display them. And, he had a knack for pairing them as well. He has a couple (!) of Holbeins - one of Sir Thomas More and of Thomas Cromwell and they flank an El Greco above the fireplace. On the opposite wall, are two Titians who flank a Bellini, with the coolest painting of St. Francis of Assisi - ever. Dudes. That's just one room. One. Room.

And, speaking of, as I wandered around, I realized why I liked the museum so much. In addition to a sometimes wry and overwrought audioguide, the Frick is such an intimate museum. You really feel as if you're walking through someone's house. It's because you are. Though the Fricks lived here together for only five years, and then his wife another dozen or so, they definitely kept the house intact, as much as they could. It gives it such a different feel than the standard gallery.

What a great several hours I spent at the Frick today. The collection was just fantastic. If you get a chance, definitely check it out.

*YIPA = "Yes, I'm Procrastinating Again." I know it was supposed to be THINK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE Weekend, but for whatever reason, I ended up whiling it away in two of our great NYC museums. It's either just me procrastinating as usual, or maybe it's a sign.

Room with a view

Magnet #841 - FLW Robie House Window

So, I've lived in New York since 1995, and I've been to the Met countless times. Seriously, doesn't it feel like I'm always writing about it?

Earlier this week, the Met Tweeted something about their Frank Lloyd Wright room. Dudes. I didn't even know they had one of those! And, ya'll know how much I love my Frank Lloyd Wright!

Totally don't have a clue how I've managed to miss it, but I totally rectified that this evening. It was pretty cool, though, really, in the end, it was just a room. Heh.

I think what I love about FLW houses is the fact that he designed not just the house, but much of the interior and furnishings as well. In some cases, he was pretty OCD about his furnishings being used.

I have to wonder if I'd be able to take it, if he dictated everything that could go into a house I lived in. Even if he did design it. From the chairs to the lights to the screens to the windows - I'd imagine it could be quite overbearing.

Clearly, I say this with a little bit of sour graping, as I also wouldn't turn down a FLW house, even if I think I couldn't live in it.

I will say, though, that I do love his windows. They're really very cool - with subtle differences in colors and patterns. This magnet is of one of the 174 glass patterns of the Robie House, one of the grandest of his Prairie Homes, in Hyde Park, IL. They're celebrating its centennial this year and is currently under a lengthy process of restoration and preservation.

I was so glad I detoured from our Met Scavenger Hunt to see the FLW room tonight. Love those scavenger hunts, they force you to notice the details of what you're seeking...even when you're running from one end of the museum to the other.

So, yay, for @metmuseum Tweeting about tonight's Internet Week event. Fun had by all!

Oh! Speaking of which - apparently, the New York Times has decided to disallow use of the word Tweet in their stories, because it's not in the dictionary. NYTs, you're one of the world's most venerable papers. But seriously. There's a reason why the dead tree industry is dying. But, ignoring the digital future won't make it go away. IJS.

American Woman

Magnet #840 - American Woman

I picked this magnet that my friend bought me from the American Woman exhibition at the Met, because I can't wait to see the exhibition to see for myself how the clothes make the woman.

I may have a different opinion tomorrow when I see it, but frankly, I just like the very idea of the American Woman, kicking ass and taking names. And, I'm hoping that maybe it'll give me some kick-ass encouragement, as this weekend has been dubbed THINK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE weekend.

The theme for this month seems to be change - of any kind, for the good, for the bad.

I had dinner with a friend and former colleague of mine this week, one who will be embarking on some pretty major life changes shortly. Possibly starting a new gig with a fancy new title, halfway around the world, and possibly with a new boy to accompany that gig.

I remember many years ago during our post-September 11th layoffs, she was just a couple of years older than me now, and she was very concerned about her future. Mostly on the professional front as a single-income household, but also on the personal front as a single-soul household.

It's what we single gals have to worry about. If we lose our income, there's no safety cushion in the form of a spouse's salary to land on and carry us through to the next gig. It's a trade-off. We have our freedom to be footloose and fancy-free, but if something happens, tag. We're it.

But, in my friend's case, I've watched as over the years, she's managed to climb the ladder of success at a sister company, and now she's about to reap the rewards of that success. And, her journey's been both inspiring and amazing for me, on the professional front.

I mean journey, literally, too. She's also traveled the world - having done stints in the Amazon and Morocco, not to mention Easter Island and half of Asia, to boot. And she did most of that - by herself. That to me, is fantastic. That, to be frank, takes balls.

It takes balls to be a single woman going it alone - both in work and in life. It's an accomplishment that no one should take away from. It's why I nearly smacked her for thinking she's accomplished nothing over the years.

No kids? No husband? So. What.

There's a world full of women who have both.

The world can use a few good women who have neither. And like it that way.

eta:
And yes, it doesn't escape me that I'm writing this on a Friday night, getting ready to leave work, after another crazy work day. Plotting to have ice cream for dinner.

Make thy books thy companions.

Magnet#839 - Book worm

My friend picked this one up for me at this year's BEA. Love it - it goes with my matching mug from DCsis!

Summers were the best time of year for us growing up - for most kids it meant running around outside all day. But for us, it usually meant more time at the public library.

My parents would drop us off, and we would literally run all over the place. Now that I look back on it, basically the librarians were our babysitters and the library, our playground.

Now, sometimes that was great, sometimes not. Generally, we were pretty well-behaved bookworms - the darling little Filipino girls timidly peeping around the corners. Other times, we could get a little unruly, running around the stacks and staircases and water fountains.

But for the most part, you could find us nestled in the aisles, each in different sections of the library, reading our treasures, or finding new ones. And we each had our checklist of what sections to go through - after I outgrew the summer reading program, my favorite part was poring through the paperbacks section - looking for new authors and romances to read. Then doing the same thing through the hardcover fiction aisles. I'm glad I never discovered the joys of nonfiction there, otherwise, I truly would never have left the library.

As it was, no matter how often we'd visit the library, though, each of us would always, always, always leave with giant stacks of books to bring home - arms full of new people, places and things to discover. We'd check out so many books, it was hard, sometimes, to keep up with them.

Yep. Or, at least that's what I learned that one summer I wracked up $30 in overdue fees. Even Sonja the librarian was like, how is this even possible when you're here so often? Then she cut me a break and like brought it down to $20. Hee. Love those small-town libraries.

*Make thy books thy companions. Let thy cases and shelves be thy pleasure grounds and gardens.

- Judah ibn-Tibbon (12th century)

Taxi!

Magnet #838 - New York Taxi

Disclaimers:

1) If you're a kid, stop reading. My mother hates when I curse. And I can't help this one, and it's the 2nd worst curse word to use!

2) If you're a respectable, nonthreatening cab driver, please disregard this magnetblog - and thank you for your great service.

3) If you're a New Yorker or a visitor, you probably have your own cabbie stories to share. ALL of my cabbie stories are probably a lot like ones you've heard before. And of course, with this post, I've jinxed forever my cab-hailing luck.

Ok. By now, ya'll have heard how much I love New York City - the bestest place ever, the coolest place ever, yadda yadda yadda. Yes, I drink the NYC Kool-Aid.

That said, I am not blind to her faults. There are certain things in this city that I can't stand, and here's #1 with a bullet.

Over the last several years, I've come to hate riding cabs in the city. Hate it. I would rather WALK somewhere, than have to cab it. And if you know me at all, you know I hate walking anywhere.

But today it was raining. Today it was like a freakin' miracle that a cab at shiftchange was even available. So when I saw an open cab, I hailed it, and as he was slowly turning down Lexington and stopped, I opened the cab door, and he was yelling at me, with some serious, serious rage in his eyes: "Goddammit, not yet, Goddammit!" Yelling.

The door was already opened, and I had forward momentum going, and said, "I'm already in," and sat down. Then, I couldn't get the door to close, and as I re-opened the door, he yelled again, "Goddammit! Get out!"

As the car was rolling. Rolling, people. Yes, not breakneck speed, but rolling is rolling, yo.

Shocked at the cabbie's atrocious behavior, I looked at him and said, "Yeah, I'll get out," and opened the door, and folks, while the cabbie was still yelling, and still rolling, I stepped out. And slammed the door.

It's been a helluva day today, and that didn't stop me from dropping by Times Square to buy this particular magnet (let's not discuss how I knew what magnets are sold where, thanks) to use for today.

I wanted to file a complaint. But, apparently, filing an official complaint (rather than firing off an email) for this abhorrent behavior with the TLC, leads to an automatic hearing with the guy in person. You know, this same rage-filled guy that I would be afraid of meeting in broad daylight, much less around 3pm on Wednesday, June 9, 2010, on the Northwest corner of Lexington and 96h Street, Cab #5N61.

Yeah. No, I don't want to go after this guy or his livelihood. But people should know that there are some crazy-ass mofos out there.

Complaint. Magnetblogged.

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

Magnet #837 - Mr. Goodbar

I think I after this magnet, I have one more chocolate miniatures magnet left to go. And then I might have to head back over to Hershey (either Pennsylvania, or you know, Times Square) to see what new magnets they might have.

Man, I used to hate when my dad would buy Hershey's Miniatures. Sounds crazy, no? Why hate those bags of chocolatey goodness?

It's because they were the hardest bags to eat at my house. First, everyone ransacked the bag for their favorites - usually the Krackel, and then Mr. Goodbar. Then, when pickings were slim (or you weren't fast enough), we'd go for the regular milk chocolate.

Finally, when all the other kinds were gone and we were just left with a bag of Special Dark - and it's been determined that there wasn't another bag of chocolate somewhere in hiding - then, we'd eat that last bunch of chocolates.

And? It always felt like they made more of the Special Darks, versus all the other flavors! Ugh!

What, it took me a while to appreciate dark chocolate!

Why'd I pick this magnet for today? It was the first title that came to mind, when this post was gonna be all about how I saw pretty Matt Bomer and the cast of White Collar last night at the Paley Center.

Then I actually looked up the movie, and if Matt resembles Mr. Goodbar. Uhhh, yeah, thank goodness I looked it up!